People that read books (the real thing or digital copies) in general lived an average of two years longer than those that didn't.

This pleasant bit of new for bookworms everywhere was brought to light by a research team from Yale University School of Public Health. This team discovered a link between reading more books and increased longevity.

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Their conclusion: bookworms might have a "significant survival advantage" compared to people that don't read books. And by books the study meant traditional paper books and e-books such as Kindle. No word on whether reading stories on the internet counted as books, or of reading, per se, led to longer lives.

The study suggests the slow, immersive process of concentrating on reading a book creates a "cognitive engagement" effect. This result is supported by previous research from Emory University in Atlanta

They examined data from 3,635 people aged 50 and over that took part in a large health study and answered several questions about reading. The respondents were divided into three groups: people that read books up to three and half hours weekly; people that read more than three and a half hours and people who read no books at all.

The data they uncovered shows a majority of book readers tended to be college-educated, female and had higher incomes than others. Researchers controlled for these factors as well as race, age, depression, enjoyment, self-reported health and marital status because of these factors.

Their findings show that book readers who spend up to 3.5 hours a week reading in a book were 17 percent less likely to die over the 12-year follow-up period. On the other hand, those who read more than three hours were 23 percent less likely to die. In general, the study said those that read books in general lived an average of two years longer than those who don't.

Researchers also found a similar association to longevity among people that read periodicals and newspapers, but the rate was weaker.

The study, which was published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, didn't establish a cause-and-effect relationship but illustrate an association. But it did show an association between reading and long life, rather than a cause and effect. This means we can't read too much into this result which does, however, support existing research that reading really can help keep the mind active and healthy.

Tagsbooks, bookworms, Yale University School of Public Health, Reading